Kelly Hickman CD (PALS)  Photo

Kelly Hickman CD (PALS)

Sound Awakening Doula

Portland, OR Service range 20 miles

http://www.soundawakeningdoula.com

Birth Fee

Not specified

Postpartum Rate

$65

Birth Fee

Not specified

Postpartum Rate

$65


Birth Doula Experience

4 years and 81 births attended

Postpartum Doula Experience

4 years and 78 families served


Birth Doula Certifications

  • Pacific Association for Labor Support (PALS) - Certified Doula

Doula Training

  • Big Belly Services, December 2018
  • Embodied Doula Trainings, June 2022

Type of practice: Solo practice

Clients per month: 0 to 1 births and 0 to 2 postpartum families

Attends hospital births? All Hospitals

Attends birth center births? All Birth Centers

Attends home births? Any Home Birth


Special Services Offered

  • Antepartum doula support
  • Babywearing education
  • Bereavement doula (pregnancy & infant loss)
  • Birth art therapy services
  • Birth pool rental
  • Cancer patients and survivors
  • Cloth diapering education
  • Elimination communication education
  • End of life doula services
  • First Aid and CPR
  • Miscarriage support
  • Mother blessing celebrations
  • Newborn care specialist
  • Photography - Birth
  • Reiki
  • Satellite doula (for remote and rural clients)
  • Sibling support (for your older children at the birth)
  • Sleep support consulting
  • Surrogates and intended parents
  • Virtual and remote doula support

Languages Spoken

  • English

Fee Details

My support covers every aspect of postpartum care, including support with breastfeeding, positioning, and making sure your baby has a great latch and/or support with bottle feeding. Assistance with newborn care such as diapering, bathing, comforting, feeding and taking note of early hunger cues, and bringing your baby to you to nurse before they get frustrated. I take care of all the burping, changing and soothing baby back to sleep, so you can recover and rest as peacefully as possible. Companionship, holding space, listening and helping parents with the sometimes emotional processing of their birth. Helping with physical recovery after birth, and also making sure that you are nourished and staying well hydrated. Light meal preparation and light housekeeping so you don't feel so overwhelmed with having to do everything, especially during your first weeks and months into your postpartum journey.

Service Area

Portland, OR Service range 20 miles

Certifications for Kelly Hickman CD (PALS)

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Certification

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Client Testimonials for Kelly Hickman CD (PALS)

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Whitney Farsai

9/6/2022

It would be impossible to capture here all of the support that Kelly provided for our family. Kelly supported us during the night with our newborn for 2 months. She was warm, supportive, respectful, and immediately made me feel at ease (particularly as I was a little nervous going into the engagement, never having had this type of support before). Kelly enabled me to sleep between feedings, knowing that she was caring for my son as if it were her own. Our baby thrived under her care, and so did my husband.

In addition, Kelly enabled our lives to run so much more smoothly in those crazy first months - she cleaned up our kitchen, did amazing meal prep (we have been spoiled!), and took care of laundry - enabling us to spend so much more quality time together as a family when she wasn't there.

Kelly was also extremely professional and timely with all of the logistics. She was always exactly on time, helped us find replacements when she was out of town, and had a clear and timely invoicing system making everything run smoothly and instilling the highest degree of trust.

I would recommend Kelly to my dearest friends and family with the highest degree of confidence, she made all of the difference in those crazy first few months and we will forever be grateful for her care and support. 

Katherine

8/23/2022

I feel so fortunate to have had Kelly’s support surrounding the birth of my second child. Kelly was a sibling doula to my older child while we were at the hospital. I felt such a sense of relief knowing that he was in Kelly’s care and could focus on childbirth. Coming home with baby to a clean house and happy child was a wonderful gift!

Kelly also supported us overnight for the postpartum period. Her competent and calm nature helped me and my family adjust to life with a new baby. Kelly truly loves babies and has a plethora of knowledge to help mom and baby. Thank you for helping me to enjoy the postpartum period. I wish all mamas and babes were able to have a doula like Kelly by their side!

Jill

6/30/2022

We are so thankful that we were able to work with Kelly; she was absolutely incredible with our son and helped our family immensely. We struggled with sleep with our son for his first five months as he has reflux and we were completely exhausted and overwhelmed. I will never forget her first night, I handed off a fussy baby a few minutes after she arrived, she didn't even bat an eye and I didn't hear a thing until I woke up the next morning. Kelly provided detailed notes about her nights with our son, and had helpful suggestions to aid in his sleep. She is so loving and kind, I knew our son was in the best hands with her. Kelly made an effort to get to know us and was so encouraging. We were in such a low place before we found Kelly out of pure exhaustion and she helped us really start to gain confidence in a reassuring way. I would highly recommend Kelly to other families, she has helped us so much and has been an amazing resource. 

Iswarya

4/16/2022

I had engaged Kelly as a postpartum night doula for my newborn baby.  Having her support at night was an absolute blessing for our family while I recovered from childbirth. She is a total pro and I knew my baby was in good hands, while my spouse and I got some sleep and rest. She is kind and sweet and generous and I appreciated that she always asked ME how I was feeling when she came in (lots of people ask about the new baby, not many ask about the mom!). She was prompt and always on time. She made sure to set expectations ahead of time in terms of what we needed and was transparent about her availability. During my initial search she went above and beyond to find a backup doula for us on the days that she had conflicts, I really appreciated that.  She was always willing to help with chores around the house to make things easier on us. I would highly recommend Kelly to any new parents looking to make their life easier!

Lin

2/3/2022

We hired Kelly as our birth doula as well as our postpartum doula. Kelly is Resourceful, Reliable, and Flexible. 

We were so lucky to have come across Kelly's profile during our search for a doula when I was already 8 months pregnant. From the very first time we connected with her, we loved her energy - she is caring, passionate about her work, and has a zen-ish kind of calm.  It didn't take us long to decide that we'd go with Kelly to have her guide us through this very special journey. Looking back, we could not be happier about this choice. Kelly's calm and protective energy, her knowledge about birthing (as well as postpartum care), and her flexibility working with uncertainties during the birth event made our journey a smooth sail. Additionally, not only did Kelly provide me so much confidence and comfort during my delivery and recovery, but she also provided tremendous support for my partner during some really intense moments.

We are grateful to have had her help welcoming our baby girl to the world and helping us transition to being new parents. I personally have recommended Kelly to all my co-workers who are planning to have kids in the near future. On a side note, Kelly also does great artwork and is a really good storyteller.  Her new photography sessions 'A day in the life' and 'a sweet afternoon'  look intriguing (portfolio from plateau family photography Instagram page). I have not personally tried this yet but am interested in exploring this talent of her in the near future.

Andrew

8/7/2021

Kelly had to step in at a moment's notice - at 11pm on a Saturday night - when our (more local) doula had to go to another birth. What are the odds? Kelly drove over an hour (in what I imagine was an invisible jet) to get to our house as we prepared for our trip to the hospital, drove to the hospital with us, stayed overnight with us as we went into labor and stood by our side for the birth of our daughter. It was tremendously comforting to have her with us for the delivery and the entire night leading up to it. She also stayed with us overnight during our first week with our daughter. It's taken me a few weeks to really appreciate what Kelly did for us - a family that she didn't even know before two weeks ago - at all hours of the night at a moment's notice - her dedication to her work and clients and the babies that she helps bring into the world on full display. 

Erin Hurr

6/29/2021

Kelly was so kind, supportive and wonderful to work with! She has a wonderful energy that puts you at ease, even when tense situations arise during the birthing experience. We feel so lucky to have worked with Kelly as our doula! Thank you Kelly! 

Megann Mitchell

5/5/2021

Kelly is a kind and caring person. She provided for the needs of our newborn twins during both day and nighttime hours, allowing us to sleep and engage in meaningful activities. Our girls were calm and content during their time with her and we appreciated Kelly's peaceful and tender approach. She was also informative and encouraging, a true gift during such a challenging life transition. We highly recommend her to anyone considering her services. 

Sulamita Ellison

11/21/2020

When we found out we were pregnant with baby #2 I immediately started my doula search. I has a great doula with baby #1 but she moved away and I wanted to make sure I found someone I was really comfortable with. I remember meeting Kelly for the first time and I could tell we would be a good fit. My pregnancy had some minor complications and Kelly was so supportive and offered to help in any way I needed it. I could reach out with any questions I had and she would spend time making me feel comfortable. My birth did not go as planned. My epidural failed and I remember feeling so scared of the pain and the experience that was happening. But that didn't last long because Kelly remained calm and stayed right by my side, doing the breathing exercises we had practiced during pregnancy. I can confidently say that I would have had a traumatic birth experience if Kelly wasn't there. You can't plan how your pregnancy and birth will go but you can make sure you have a valuable person like Kelly to help support you for whatever comes up. I would recommend Kelly to every expecting parent. 

Melissa Amora

7/14/2020

I am not a client of Kelly's. I am a L&D Nurse with Multicare Covington Medical Center, and I have worked along side this woman many times now. She is amazing. The birthing room is always so relaxed and welcoming when she is present. Kelly is a wonderful support to her clients and so fluid to each moment. I witnessed her supporting her clients in a way that extended and embraced the laboring woman in an acceptance of their own strength. I watched these women bring their babies into the world with a focused determination that was inspiring. I now use some of her techniques ?? I can honestly recommend her with no hesitation. She is judgement free and will support you in making your birth story your own. It never hurts to have extra support, trust me!

Bethany

2/14/2020

Kelly is an absolute life saver, and a sanity saver too. Not only did she give me and my partner the opportunity to sleep through the night, she also gave me tips & knowledge about breastfeeding, bathing, swaddling and wearing my baby. I've never done this before, and none of it came as naturally as I assumed it would. Kelly did my laundry, washed my dishes, and even made baby wipes for us. They were soft, gentle, all natural and durable! 

Hiring Kelly was the best investment we made for my immediate postpartum. You cannot put a price on this kind of support. I cannot recommend Kelly enough. She is kind, trustworthy, thoughtful and knowledgeable.  I looked forward to her overnight visits with an almost desperate anticipation, that's how much she helped my partner and I during what was a bewildering time.  A great gift certificate idea for any expecting Family.

Regina

1/22/2020

We can’t say enough wonderful things about Kelly. Hiring her as our doula was the smartest thing we did to prepare for our little one joining us. We were nervous first time parents and she reassured us, giving us the support we needed again and again through visits, calls, and many, many texts.

Kelly is an endless source for all things baby. She helped with breast feeding, connecting me with a great postpartum massage therapist, and directed us to informative and helpful websites regarding several concerns and questions we had. Her vast knowledge and experience is amazing.

Kelly is full of compassion and calmed me while laboring at home as well as at the hospital. My husband and I were both able to relax more at hospital knowing we had someone in our corner who would help ensure we received the birth experience we were hoping for.

We decided to purchase the Birthing With Sound + Photography package, and we are so pleased with the experience and the turnout of the photos that we have recommended Kelly to all my friends and after sharing our experience, even friends who are not first time moms or who had gone private said they would like to hire her in the future. I will continue to tell everyone who asks that I have a great doula I would recommend. Thank you Kelly for making our birth experience what we wanted it to be, and for taking such good care of us!

Hannah Hitson

11/24/2019

As first time parents we were pretty scared about the birth process. Kelly helped us be relaxed and open to the process. Kelly does a great job supporting you through labor so that your nurses can focus on their job of monitoring yours and baby's health. She also helped my husband support me and feel included in the birth process. She is versatile and does what is needed in the moment without hesitation. Kelly was really good at anticipating my needs and was able to repeat my requests so I only had to say something once. Thinking about how painful it was, and how scared I was, my labor could have gone SO MUCH DIFFERENTLY without Kelly's support. Kelly would be a lovely addition to any birth team.

Birth Availability for Kelly Hickman CD (PALS)

= Available. Calendar last updated: 09-27-2024

Postpartum Availability for Kelly Hickman CD (PALS)

= Available. Calendar last updated: 09-27-2024